


Exorcise Me

by zombiegardener



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anxiety, Fluff, Hunk is the best friend, Lance's Insecurities, M/M, Modern AU, brief mention of hunk/shay, bunnies are probably embarrassed by the fluff, seriously, shance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 17:30:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11063760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombiegardener/pseuds/zombiegardener
Summary: Lance is feeling insecure when he meets Shiro's family. Luckily, he has an awesome best friend and boyfriend.So. Much. Fluff.





	Exorcise Me

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently I'm stressed and everything I'm writing is angsty, and I just wanted fluff, damn it. That's the only explanation I have for this. I don't even know where it came from. It's just Lance mildly panicking and Shiro and Hunk being awesome. That's pretty much it.
> 
> The title is from _Send Them Off!_ by Bastille.

Hunk looked up in irritation as the ringing of his phone jerked his attention away from his current project. A quick glance at the clock told him that time to go home had already come and gone, so he couldn't even really be annoyed at whoever was on the other end of the line for interrupting him. 

He reached out and snagged the phone, most of his attention still on the exposed wiring of his current project's control panel as the phone reached his ear. 

"Hello?"

"Please tell me that he loves me and everything is going to be okay."

Hunk blinked and carefully lowered the wire crimper toward his work bench, because Lance's voice was almost breathless with panicked urgency and that type of phone lead-off was more typical of Pidge, albeit for different reasons.

"Lance? What's wrong?"

"Just tell me. I kind of really need to hear it right now."

"Of course Shiro loves you."

"And it's going to be okay?"

Hunk sighed and rubbed his eyes. "That one's a bit harder. What's wrong, exactly?" He racked his brain for a second before remembering that Shiro had dragged Lance to some sort of thing at his parents' house this weekend. A big thing. And he probably should have checked on him before now, damn it. There went his best friend of the year award. "Is this about Shiro's parents? Did something happen?"

"No, they're fine. I think. I haven't really spoken to them much. But Shiro left me alone with a group of people, and that should be fine, because you know me, but seriously, Hunk, one of them is his ex that he won't talk about and she's like some sort of super model-astrophysicist and she's perfect and she keeps glaring at me and touching Shiro." He paused, but left barely enough time to take a breath, much less allow Hunk to get a word in edgewise. "Do you think Shiro's parents will disapprove if I go to jail for murder?"

"Hmm. You might want to hold on to that option for plan B." He leaned back against the bench as he considered. "I'm sure you're fine. Shiro loves you. Everything is going to be okay."

Lance let out a strangled laugh. "Thanks, bro."

"Seriously, Lance," Hunk picked up a stray wire stripper and started idly twirling it through his fingers, because the motion helped him think and he needed a moment to get his right. He'd seen the way Shiro looked at Lance, and this needed to stop before any of Lance's insecurities took hold. "Just take a deep breath, okay? Shiro wanted you there. He _wanted_ you to meet his family. You've got this. Just breathe for a minute."

"Okay." The line quieted down, the only sound the draw of Lance's breathing, which Hunk was pleased to note was slowing down.

"Better?"

Lance sighed. "Yeah. Thanks, Hunk. You're the best."

"Of course I am." He hesitated, taking in the quiet on Lance's side of the connection. "You're hiding somewhere, aren't you?"

"Um." There was a pause again, and Hunk knew without having to see him that Lance had flushed and was probably about to start waving his arms defensively. "Maybe?"

"Not judging, bro. I'm just about to head home, but I'll be around tonight if you need me, okay?"

"You're still in the lab? Hunk, do you know what time it is?"

Hunk snorted out a laugh. "Kind of, and stop deflecting. Just go find your boyfriend before you give him a panic attack too, okay?"

Lance huffed out a laugh. It was soft, but it was real, so he'd probably be okay. "All right. Thanks, man."

"Anytime. Now get going."

"Yes, sir!" Lance's tone was too relieved to truly pull off sarcasm, and Hunk smiled as the connection clicked off. He regarded the silent phone for a couple of seconds before pulling up a text message. It was cool. He wasn't going behind Lance's back. He was just checking on Shiro. Because he was probably worried. That was all. No betrayal here. 

_To Shiro:  
Hey, I just talked your other half down from a mild panic attack. _

The response was immediate.

_From Shiro:  
Oh thank god did he say where he was because I cant find him anywhere_

And wow, apparently he'd made the right decision because Shiro wasn't even bothering with punctuation, and that was a first. So he was absolutely and totally in the moral clear on this one. Not that he was going to tell Lance, but still. Moral clear. 

_To Shiro:  
No, but it was quiet._

_From Shiro:  
Thanks man youre the best._

Smiling to himself, he dropped his phone back onto the bench and turned his attention back to his work, secure in the knowledge that all was right with the world and he'd probably hear a play by play of whatever happened next when Lance came home on Sunday.

*****

Lance slid his phone into his pocket and turned his gaze up to the sky. Hunk was right, he needed to head back inside and apologize to Shiro for disappearing, but something about night sky always drew him. A shooting star arched overhead, and he leaned against the balustrade of the balcony overlooking the gardens as he made a wish. The party was taking place closer to the pool area of the yard and spilling into the first floor of the house, so he was mostly hidden here behind the branches of an old oak tree. Even so, he was only slightly surprised when the sliding door opened to reveal the shadowed but incredibly recognizable form of his boyfriend.

He turned around fully and pasted a bright smile on his face, aiming for amused nonchalance. "Hey, gorgeous. Fancy seeing you here."

Shiro firmly shut the door behind him and stalked across the shadowed balcony. The lights from the pool filtering through the tree behind them glinted off his eyes and the prosthetic metal of his arm, making him look more predatory than usual and sending a slight shiver up Lance's spine. The lines of tension in his stance eased some as he reached out to cup Lance's cheek with his hand, eyes wide as they searched his face. "Hey. I've been looking for you everywhere."

Lance felt himself flush and glanced away at the rose garden below the balcony. "Yeah, sorry. I just needed a minute, you know?"

"Yeah." Shiro pressed on his cheek and tilted his own head to catch his gaze, eyes still searching. "Are you okay?"

Lance stared back into eyes that looked like liquid silver in the uncertain light and took a deep breath. "I'm fine." He reached up and covered Shiro's hand with his own as the other man's face tightened slightly with worry. "Seriously, Shiro, I'm fine. I just... It's all a little overwhelming, I guess."

Shiro huffed out a laugh at that and finally started to relax. "I get that. Mom said they were having a few people over. I think something got lost in translation. Or she was excited. I honestly have no idea."

"Excited?"

Shiro dropped his hand from Lance's cheek, suddenly looking embarrassed. It was kind of adorable. Lance fought back a smile and dropped his own hand to thread his fingers through Shiro's at their sides. 

Shiro ducked his head, but the flush on his own cheeks was still visible even in the dim light. "I've never really brought anyone home before."

The words Lance had been planning to say died in his throat. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, well, I've just.. I've never..."

Lance decided turnabout was fair play and reached up with his free hand to coax Shiro to look at him. "What about Miss Perfect downstairs?"

Shiro frowned for a moment before his expression lightened into understanding. "Who, Marissa? We went to high school together. Our mothers were best friends. That was more convenience than anything else, looking back. I haven't even seen her in years." He suddenly went still and the intensity was back. "Wait, is that what you were upset about? Because seriously, no."

"No, yes, maybe, I don't know." Lance released Shiro's cheek and took a step back, needing some distance to regain his composure. "I just... I don't know what to say to people."

Shiro huffed out a laugh. One hand shot up to cover his mouth, like maybe he hadn't meant to do that. Lance rolled his eyes and took another step back, one arm hugging his thin shirt over his chest defensively. "Just go ahead and get it out of your system."

Shiro followed him, tightening the grip on his fingers and closing the space between them until they were almost but not quite touching. "It's no fun if you're expecting it." Lance smacked him lightly in the arm, earning a smile. "Seriously, though, I've never seen you this nervous around people and you were fine with my mom and dad. What's bothering you so much?"

Lance sighed and leaned into the solid planes of Shiro's chest. "I don't know. I feel like everyone's judging me. I mean, you're perfect and I'm me, so I see the point, but-"

"Lance, stop." Lance obeyed, mostly because the end of that thought was too depressing to voice. Instead he leaned closer and used the movement to hide his face. He half-expected Shiro to make him look up again, but instead the other man just loosely wrapped his arms around Lance's waist. "I'm not going to lie and say no one is judging you, because hell, they judge me all the time. I'm just used to it." He paused, and for once Lance didn't feel any need to fill the silence. Instead he turned his face into Shiro's neck, taking a minute to just absorb the calm, quiet reality of him. Shiro sighed and rested cheek against Lance's forehead. "Besides, since when do you care if people are judging you? I pretty clearly remember you standing on a chair at Starbucks and singing show tunes so Shay and Hunk could dance."

Lance laughed at the memory and pressed an apologetic kiss to Shiro's throat. "That was different. Those were strangers. What they thought of me didn't matter."

"And these strangers do?"

" _Yes_ , Shiro, because they're in your parents' house. That makes this different." Lance leaned back slightly and regarded his boyfriend with an expression that was probably exasperated, because Shiro just laughed softly and dropped his forehead down to rest on Lance's. 

"Stop stressing, baby. My parents liked you. I love you. So fuck everyone else."

Lance smiled at that and reached his arms around Shiro's neck to tug on his short hair. "You're ridiculous."

"I'm right, though." They stayed like that for another minute before Shiro pulled back enough to look him in the eyes again. "Seriously, do you know what people see when they look at you?"

Lance squirmed uncomfortably and burrowed a bit more tightly into Shiro's arms. "A Latino kid who got lucky?" He didn't even try to stop the sarcasm from bleeding into his voice.

"No," Shiro answered quietly, pausing to press a kiss against the top of his head. "Lance, you're beautiful. You have a smile that can light up a room and an amazing laugh. You're funny, strong, hard-working, stubborn, smart, loyal, a great friend, a pain in the ass, sometimes, but still the most amazing person I've ever met."

Lance sighed, not about to admit that the words affected him, because then he'd have to examine why it was so hard to find truth in any of them and now wasn't the time. Instead he forced it all away, focused on the fact that he knew that Shiro loved him, and managed to meet his boyfriend's eyes with a small smile. "You may have now moved from ridiculous to crazy."

Shiro just shot him back an absolutely unrepentant smile that lit up his whole face and eased the stress lines that had been bunching up the scar over his nose and between his eyes. He was beautiful. It really wasn't fair, because he used his gifts for evil purposes. He sighed and gave in, loosening his fingers in Shiro's hair. "Fine, I'm awesome. I get it. I still have no idea how to answer anyone's questions. Some of them have been..." His voice trailed off as he tried and failed to find an expression that matched some of the more pointed questions he'd been asked tonight.

"Intrusive?"

"I was trying to find a polite word for 'rude', but sure, let's go with that." He shook his head, feeling the frustration threatening to rise again. "Some of them aren’t even trying to pretend that they approve, you know? Or they’re acting like they think this is some sort of phase for you, so they don’t really have to acknowledge me. Or something. I don’t even know anymore. I thought about starting to answer questions in Spanglish just to entertain myself."

"So do it. The ones that aren’t assholes will probably think it’s funny. I know my dad will." Shiro shrugged, his expression entirely unconcerned. "Some of them don't approve of a lot of things I do. I stopped caring when I got back home. Just ignore them and focus on everyone else." He shook his head, leaning forward to nudge Lance's cheek with his nose. "So just answer them. Or not. Fuck with them if you want to. Have fun. Relax. I trust you."

"Really?"

"Of course I do," Shiro answered in a sing-song voice, turning his head to kiss him on the nose and still smiling that totally below-the-belt smile. 

"Okay," Lance agreed, tapping idly on the back of Shiro's neck with one finger. "So I can start answering the 'how did you meet' question with 'well, I'm here in your lovely country on a scholarship and was having trouble with my not-my-first-language-and-fuck-you-anyway English lit class until my totally hot astronomy TA offered to help me and somehow his dick ended up down my throat?'"

Shiro just laughed again, a real laugh this time, the one that made something inside Lance melt every time he heard it, and rubbed his cheek against Lance's in a gesture that reminded him of a satisfied cat. "Maybe you should paraphrase and leave out the interesting bits."

"You're no fun."

"Mmm." Shiro shifted, one hand sliding to the small of his back and the other resting between his shoulder blades to pull him closer. "Really?" His voice dropped to a quieter register, and the intensity was back in his gaze.

"You have your moments." Lance let his hands remain loose around his boyfriend's neck, but he couldn't stop the slightly husky tone of his voice that was practically a Pavlovian response. It would have been embarrassing if he was with anyone else, but he never felt like he had to hide from Shiro.

Shiro didn't even bother to answer, just erased the space between them and kissed him. His kisses were gentle but insistent and full of intent that promised that they'd continue this later tonight whether they were staying at his parents' house or not. Lance had just threaded the fingers of one hand more tightly into the longer section of Shiro's hair and let himself be pushed gently against the edge of the balcony for leverage when they were interrupted by the door sliding open behind them. 

Shiro pulled away with an impatient sigh and turned slightly to glance back at the door. Lance glanced over his shoulder at Shiro's ex, because of fucking course it was. For a secluded balcony, this place seemed to be amazingly easy to find. He sighed and started to pull away only to have Shiro's arms tighten just enough to hold him in place. He glanced up at his boyfriend's face, which was hovering somewhere between mild interest and irritation. The expression was gratifying in a way that he didn't really want to admit that he needed, so he fought down the smile that was threatening to break through because that would be petty.

Marissa stiffened as she stared at them, obviously uncomfortable. Shiro just looked back at her as one hand started to trace soothing circles on Lance's back.

"Hey, Marissa, what's up?"

His voice still had that almost husky lower tone, and Lance turned his head just enough that Marissa couldn't see his smile as her face flushed bright red. 

"Oh, um, you mother..." Her voice trailed off and she gestured vaguely in the direction of inside.

"Thanks. Tell her we'll be there in a few minutes." He didn't even wait for a reply before he turned back to Lance, his eyes intent and shadowed as he leaned back down into another kiss. Lance smiled against his lips, knowing the show of PDA was totally for his benefit and feeling absurdly grateful for it. He was only distantly aware of the door sliding closed again as the kiss deepened and he lost track of everything but the feel of Shiro against him.

Lance finally pulled away reluctantly and pressed a soft kiss to Shiro's cheek. "Thanks."

Shiro hummed in response and kissed him again before stepping away. "Feel better?"

Lance considered the question as he reached up to smooth Shiro's pale forelock back down so it wasn't quite so obvious that they'd been making out. "I think so."

"Good." The smile Shiro shot him this time was soft and warm, and Lance smiled back as he took the hand being held out for him. 

"Ready?"

Lance let his smile turn cocky and winked. "I was born ready. I've got this." Shiro squeezed his hand as he slid the door open. As the noise from downstairs washed over them, Lance felt his smile widen into something more real, because yeah, he had this.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know what to say to that. I apologize to anyone named Marissa, but I've been reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, and Marissa = society chick in my head at the moment. And it's a lovely name, and I'm sure she's actually a lovely person and Lance is just deflecting. ^^
> 
> My headcanon is that Shiro was in the military, was hurt while deployed (hence the arm and scar), and started college after he came home, which is where he met Lance. I'm probably not going to do anything else with it, because I have enough going on, but that's where this came from. My other headcanon is that Shiro's family is very high society. I just feel that one.


End file.
